A bonfire built by college students and never fully extinguished was responsible for the massive wildfire in Santa Barbara that destroyed 210 homes, authorities said Tuesday.

An anonymous tipster told police 10 students gathered last Wednesday evening at a property known locally as the “Tea Garden,” next to an abandoned home in the hills of Montecito, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. They built a bonfire during the night and stayed until 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. the next day.

They believed that had put out the fire before leaving but embers remained.

Though Brown said there was no “malicious intent,” the county district attorney will review the case and determine if criminal charges will be filed.

The Montecito blaze, which was named the Tea fire, was the first of three to erupt in Southern California. They collectively damaged or destroyed about 1,000 homes.

In L.A. County, an 11,234-acre fire in the San Fernando Valley was 85 percent contained Tuesday. About 50 miles to the south, the last remaining evacuation order was lifted in Orange County, where a nearly 29,000-acre complex of fires was 90 percent contained and some of the 3,760 firefighters were being sent home.

Meanwhile, lawmakers geared up to help those who lost their homes. President George W. Bush made a disaster declaration for California, freeing up federal aid to areas ravaged by the wildfires that blackened more than 65 square miles.

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